About us

False Creek Rowing Club (FCRC) is a volunteer-run recreational rowing club located in Vanier Park on False Creek, right in beautiful downtown Vancouver. False Creek allows for up to 3 kilometers of rowing (one way!) and is easily accessible for anyone living near or around Vancouver. We offer lessons for beginners in the Spring and Summer, and year-round rowing for our members. If you are an experienced rower and want to drop in for a row to try us out, please contact us! FCRC is a small club that works hard to provide a warm, welcoming and safe environment for folks to come row and create community. In fact, our code of conduct reads as follows:

Be Safe – Be Welcoming – Be Respectful

We are proud of the people who are part of our family: they range from participants in our Community Rowing programs (which is supported by Rowing BC and Rowing Canada Aviron) to people like Andrea Proske who represented Canada at the Tokyo Olympics in Canada’s Womens 8+ and our club at the 2021 Henley Royal Regatta and Tricia Smith, who is a member of the International Olympic Committee and a President of the Canadian Olympic Committee. Not everyone is fast, but we do ask that all those who are part of our community support the values in our code of conduct.

Meet the board

We rely heavily on our board of volunteers to keep the club running. Without the efforts of every board member, the club would not be able to exist. We elect new members in June each year, and are always looking to grow the team. Each board member has a specific role at the club, so you know who to reach out to if you have specific questions/issues.

Simon Litherland – President – Our intrepid leader, who’s an encyclopedia of rowing knowledge. He leads the club with patience ranked in the top ten percentile of the population. Simon is a certified coach, licensed level 4 umpire, Henley Steward and is the heart of the club, having been around since the first email long before we incorporated. He also currently writes the newsletter (usually late at night) and organizes the Regatta, although we would love an additional board member to take on this seasonal role.
Sergio Fernandez – Rowing Captain – Our master program director. He plays the planning game like it’s chess, although if you ask him, he’ll tell you it feels more like Jenga. Sergio competitively rowed as a teenager in his hometown (Navia, Spain), and returned with FCRC after twenty years away from the sport.
Katrina Barkes – Secretary – Typing with more gusto than Fred Astaire on the tap dancing floor, she keeps our minutes tidy, and the board on track.
Amber Renall – Treasurer – With a head for numbers and eye for detail. She’ll track you down for your receipts like a bounty hunter with a score to settle.
Charmaine Bastian – Member at large (Maintenance and Equipment) – Keeping our boats together and our compound tidy. She’ll MacGyver a solution to any problem she finds, even if she might be a touch young for that reference.
Kathleen Duddy – Member at large (Safe Sport Officer) – Health care by day, rowing safety by night. Just your friendly neighbourhood safe sport officer.
Neda Kasraee – Member at large – Bringing a keen eye for great improvements to the table. She’ll have your back both on and off the water.

But over the years there are way more people helped our community. Bellow the list of people who have served the board in the past, in alphabetical order: